Sound-reproducing machine.



L. T. HAILE. SOUND REPRODUOING MACHINE.

APPLIUATXOH nun) 3.29. 1909.

HVVENTOR ATTORNEY UNITED ATES LUTHER T. HAILE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1909.

Application filed January 29, 1909. Serial No. 474,898.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lu'rneu T. Hanna, a citizen of the United States, and rcsider of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sound-Reproducing Machines, of which the followim: is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object the provision of means, a plicable to sound-reproducing machines, or governing'and directing the course of sound-waves from the tonearm to the sound-discharge chamber, as well as to provide a covered seat for a tone-modL fying valve between said elements, and -I will explain its construction and mode of operation as applied specifically to the sound-reproducing machine described in and patented to me by U. S. Letters PatentNo. 873,937dated December 17, 1907. in combinationwlth the resonance-cl:amber of which,

it has its greatest utility. In said machine the sound waves produced by the vibrating diaphragm ofthc sound-box carried by the movable tone-arm are delivered into a resonance chamber having a sounding board wall or walls which are thereby sympathetically vibrated. Diverging partition wallsarc mounted in such resonance-chamber, leading from the sound-inletv aperture therein and toward the sound-disrhnrge openings. and such inlet aperture is governed by a movable valve. To prevent. an abrupt umpliticatio'n of such sound-waves as they pass the valve into the large rcsoninn-0-ohauibcr,.

to direct their course, to cause them t1o..impinge against the vibralablc partition walls of such chamber and against the oundingboard wall thereof. l have found from pram tic-al tests that my present invention cll'ri'ls the result stated and enlarges the vibratory etl'ect. besides enabling the \ulvo to operatemore perfectly as :l tom-modifying agent.

To these ends any present invention hereinafter described and claimed consists of the novel member, which I. shall call a valve block and smmd-wave conductor,interposed between the tone-arm and the sound -discharge element of a talking nun-him, and having interior porls and passage adapted to provide a. covered or incloscd Htllt for the upper face oF a. tone-modifying valve, and

to receive in its interior passageway above the valve-seat thesound-waves delivered to it past such valve and properly direct their course as aforesaid.

1n the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a bottom view of the new element, shown in place on the resonance-chaniber of my former machine. the base wall thereof being removed; the dotted line indicating the sha e of the interior passageway above the 'ali'e-seut. Fig. 2 IS a perspective, in dotted lines, of the same elements in top view, and indicatin their relation to the tone-arm and connecte parts. Fig. 3 is a section on the line a-b of Fig. 1, and Fig. :l is an end view of the resonmice-chamber, its partition walls, and the valve block, shown in reversed position in Fig. 1.

Referring now to said drawings, 1 indicates a containing cabinet, with hinged lid 5.. the cabinet containing at top. below the lid. :1 resonanrc-chamber 3, of which the top wall 4 is-u sounding board, having the usual souml-apcrtnre 5 therein, and preferably supplied with a hinged closure piece 6. In the body of the cabinet 1 is contained tulle the drawing imlicuting. in dotted lines. a disk t'orm of-such machine, having a tom-- arm 7. the discharge end of which is operatively connected by a suitable swivel hear ing. with the inlet'aperturc S in the bottom or lmsc-wall ot' the resonunee-chamber ll. Vertically-disposrd partition walls 9, which diverge outwardly. are mounted within the P0801121ll(t-t'lltllllllt'l'. proceodii'ig from the region of and surroumling the inlet aperture therein and extending in the opposite dircr tion. All those part are shown and dc stl'lllltl in my former patent and need not be further described herein.

The new element added thereto. as shown in end view in Fig. I- and in vertical section. taken longiimlimrlly. in Fig. 3. both views showing it in plot-c on the rosonamre-oliamher of the machine. is a member 15. shown as a block of wood. that material being prclcrred because it is more suitably vibratable: and this member is recessed at H (as h' L'Il in Fig. 1.) to form an incloscd chamber t ll' the nnrvable valve .ll which is freely movable therein. and preferably without contact with the walls of said recess. Proceeding thence f 'om the top of this recess 14..the block 1'3 is hollowed out to form a. curved passageway ing machine apparatus. of any usual hind,

la, 5. for sound waves, said passageway bei 1. In a sound-producing machine com ginning at lllt io well of said recess l t, in prising a resonance-chamber one wall of i-n'cuiur form As at 12 (Figs. 3 and 1 thence E-which is a sounding board adapted to be wining and at same time grudiuilly enlargi sympathetically vibrated and another wall ing in i'l'tbh sm'tionnl urea, passing from (:irof which has an inlet port, a tone arm rulnr to rectangular in cross htftllOll (sec 13 mounted to discharge sound-waves through"; Fig. 1-} at its outlet, and terminating said port from u reproduce), and means for thcrcut in t peripheral edge which is pre ernhly inclined from the vertical, as indicured at 13 in Fig 3:3. ln. assembling the elements, said new member 15 is placed, relatively to the basal wall ll of the resonance chamber 3, to bring the recessed valve-inelosing chamber 1-l over the aperture 8 in said busntwall, and also to bring the inlet end 12-01 the pussageway on the member 15 in vertical alincment with said aperture in the basal wall of the resonance-chamber. The valve 11 is interposed between the two by being placed in said recess 14 and mount ed to be actuated therein by means of a jointed handle 11 11 and 11 pivoted at 11 and 11 to the base wall 11, the part ll extending outside the vertical wall 1.0 of the resonancechamber, as more particularly shown and described in another U. S. patent granted to me No. 888,084 dated May 19,

1908. But this character of valve and means to actuate it may be varied in the construction and o eration of the particular improvement escribed and claimed herein, for example as in my other U. S. Patent No. 873,937 before referred to. So mounting the new member 15 in the resonance-chamber, it is to be noted that it tapers externally in plan view, hence alinin with the pair of diverging partition Will 5 9, 9, in the resonance-chamber, and inclosed between the rear ends of the same, as shown in Fig. 1, to which its side walls are preferably cemented, though it is not essential in such arrangement and combination with the new member 15 to extend the partition wells 9, 9, farther back than to form a junction with the valve block at about the point marked 9, in said Fig. 1, to form a junction between them.

In operation my improvement produces several advantageous results, in the combination described, notably, it prevents the abrupt amplification of sound-waves entering the resonance-chamber through the aperture in its basal wall, it provides an inclosed valve-seat for the valve, it causes a vibration of the valve-block itself and a. transmission thereof by contact with and to the diverging partition walls which coincide with the exterior of the valve block member, and finally it gradually amplifies the sound-waves passing through its curved interior passage, discharging them against said partition walls and against the sounding-board wall of the resonance-chamber. l v

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the course and preliminarily modifying and amplifying said sound-waves, consisting of a member having a curved interior passageway of gradually enlarging urea, mounted within the chamber and communicating at its smaller end with said portend its larger end discharging said sound-waves directly into the interior of the chamber.

In a sound-producing machine comprisii'ig a resonance-chamber one wall of which is a soundingboard, a sound inlet port in another well of said chamber, a tone arm mounted to discharge sound-waves through said port from a reproduccr, of means constituting a sound-amplifying and tone-modifyin passe, e, interposed between said port and t 16 soun ing-board wall of said chamber, said means consisting of a member inclosed within said resonance-chamber and having a curved interior passageway of gradually enlargin area the inlet end of which is circular am the d' -harge end of which is rectangular in cross-section.

3. In a sound producing machine comprising a sound-am lifying and tone-modifying chamber, an a tone-arm carrying :1 reproducer, of means comprisin a valve interposed between said elements tor directing overning the transmission of sound-waves rom one to the other, said means consisting of 'a memberhaving a curved interior passageway, the said member being recessed surrounding its inlet port to provide an inclosing covering for said valve governin said port and passageway.

4. In a sounc l reproducing machine comprising a resonance-chamber the upper wall of whlch is asounding board, diverging partition walls in said chamber, a sound IIIlElZ, port in the basal wall of said chamber, and means to discharge sound waves through said port from a reproducer, of a member interposed between said port and the said partition walls, said member being of viratable material and having a curved interior passe eway of gradually enlarging area, the in at end of which is circular in outline, and the discharge end of which is rectangular in outline.

5. In a. sound-reproducing machine comprising a resonance-chamber, the upper wall of which 15 'a sounding-board, a sound inlet ort in the basal wall thereof, means to ischarge sound-waves through said port from a reproducer, a valve governing said ort, diverging partition walls in said chamher and a. valve block fixedly mounted between said partition walls and over said ,said valve, and having a curved interior valved port, said valve block bein recessed afilxed my signature this seventh day of on 1tS-lllldGP face to provide an mcTosnre for January, A. D. 1909.

LUTHER 'I. HAILE.

sound passage through 1t leading from said recess to and between said partition walls in the resonance-chamber.

In testhnuny whereof I have hereunto 

